The present invention generally relates to artist easels. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable easel assembly including a paint/sketch box constructed to allow a painter to adjust and set a canvas bearing portion of the box in various position and angles.
Paint box easels have been in existence for hundreds of years. Their purpose is to allow an artist to work outside of the convenience of a studio. They are constructed much like a briefcase or a laptop computer, having two halves hinged at the back that can be laid flat and opened up. The first bottom half or base holds the artist""s materials such as paint tubes, brushes, medium and thinner.
The second or vertically extending half or lid is the easel area of the paint box. The canvas, or other suitable surface to create images on, is either held by a clamping system on the outside surface of the lid top, or in the inside of the lid by slots extending along the length of both sides of the box.
When the canvas is held by the outside of the lid, the artist must work from behind the box. The lid can be set at a suitable angle of less than 90 degrees by the use of adjustable side supports. The artist, however, can not see or reach his materials unless he goes around to the front of the box. The standard solution to this problem is to install a drawer that opens out of the back of the box and toward the artist. The top of this drawer normally has a lip that a palette board for mixing paint can rest on covering the artist""s materials and held in place by the box""s lid when in the closed position.
When the canvas board is held by slots in the inside of the lid, the artist works from the front of the box and the lid now must open more than 90 degrees to be at a suitable angle. Some boxes use lid supports that open to one preset angle and others use a more complex system that allows for variable angle settings. This type of box also usually stores the palette board over the art materials.
Convenience, portability and efficiency are the attractions of a paint box easel. The artist may rest the box on his lap to make studies and sketches in public places. He may sit low on a rock or stool and open the box on the ground for landscape painting. Many a novice or student has been enchanted by the possibilities of a paint box easel only to discover its use to be quite limited.
The major difficulty is that the box is hinged at the back in the traditional manner. If the box is the type that opens more than 90 degrees, the canvas being held in by the slots inside the lid, then a balance problem exists causing the entire box to tip back when any slightly vigorous brushwork is attempted. This can mar the work and cause open bottles of medium and thinner to spill. The artist is not enthused by having to steady the box with one hand while painting with the other.
If the box is the type that holds the canvas on the outside of the lid, the artist working from the back of the box, then he is faced with inaccessible materials or the added expense and weight of a pull out drawer.
With either type of box it should be remembered that the palette board must be held away from the box bottom or drawer in order to access materials while the artist is probably holding several loaded brushes and a paint rag in his non-painting hand.
A further problem is caused by the traditional use of a support that holds the lid of the easel box at a fixed angle (unless one hand tips the box back and holds it in position). If the artist wants the painting surface to be flat so a wash can be laid down and controlled he or she must empty the contents of the box and lay the easel side flat, or remove the canvas from the paint box and hold it level while trying to apply the wash. A landscape painter cannot change his position in response to a need to adjust to the sun""s position because a glare is coming off of his wet canvas. That would alter his point of view. Instead, he or she must change the angle or height of his or her work. Accessibility to painting materials is limited or completely restricted in prior paint boxes when the palette is resting on top of the open box bottom.
Paint box easels are often converted from tabletop to stand up usage by either adding three extendable legs or a fitted mounting on the box base that accommodates a camera tripod. The camera tripod version is normally used on boxes that open wider than 90 degrees where the artist is working from the front of the box. They are notoriously wobbly unless an expensive high quality professional tripod is used. This method is generally used on boxes that are quite small since a larger box will tend to twist sideways under pressure from the wind or normal painting activity.
The extendable leg version is the type known as a French easel. A folding leg is attached to each side of the box and a third leg is folded into a cavity in the bottom middle of the box so that the easel will still sit flat when being used as a tabletop easel. The lid carries the canvas on its outside surface, the artist working from the back of the box and needing a drawer to access his materials as described above. The folded up middle leg takes up valuable space in the materials storage area and greatly reduces the depth of the drawer that can be used as well as increasing the complexity and cost of manufacture.
The French easel with its folding legs does provide a stable surface, but unfolding and extending each leg while supporting the easel itself can resemble a clumsy wrestling match. The French easel also tends to be larger and heavier than the sketch/paint box easel. This is because the folding legs require a certain amount of space in order to store themselves and still open up with enough length to accommodate an artist creating her or his work in the standing position. Size and weight are key considerations for both the landscape painter and the art school student who must transport their art supplies to a variety of locations in order to create their art.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved paint box which holds artist""s materials and canvas boards similar to a traditional paint box, but which allows the artist to adjust the position and angle of the lid of the paint box. What is also needed is a paint box that allows the artist to conveniently access his or her supplies while mixing colors and painting. What is further needed is a paint box that includes an improved tripod assembly. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.
The present invention resides in a portable easel assembly comprising a paint/sketch box design such that the artist can adjust the position and angle of a lid of the box while conveniently accessing his or her supplies within the box. The paint/sketch box generally comprises a base defining a cavity for storing art supplies, and a lid connected to the base by a hinge assembly and configured to support a surface to be painted thereon. A slide bar assembly interconnects the base and lid. The slide bar assembly includes a slide bar having a slot substantially extending the length thereof, and posts extending from the base and lid and into the slide bar slot. The posts are selectively positioned within the slot with hand-actuatable knobs. The hinge assembly comprises a first brace attached to a rear surface of the base and extending upwardly to a point above the top edge of the base. A second brace is attached to a top surface of the lid. A third brace is pivotally interconnected between the first and second braces. This arrangement allows for the intended positioning of the lid with respect to the base.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the lid includes a front wall moveable between open and closed positions. Opposing grooves are formed on inner surfaces of the walls of the lid for reception of a canvas board or the like. Wings are pivotally attached to the base and have a plurality of apertures therethrough for supporting paint brushes. A paint mixing palate is slidably receivable within opposing grooves of sidewalls of the base.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, first, second and third legs are pivotally attached to the base and moveable between extended and folded positions. Each leg is pivotally attached to a mount fixed to the base. Each mount has an opened-faced channel configured to receive an end of a leg. The channel includes a first open end directed generally transverse to a plane of the base, and a second open end directed generally parallel to plane of the base. The legs are moveable from a folded and supportive position in which the leg extends through the second end of the channel, to an unfolded and supportive position wherein the leg extends to the first end of the channel.
Each leg is adjustable in length. Each leg comprises first and second extension slidably connected to one another. The second extension has at least a portion thereof slidably received in an opened-face channel of the first extension. The second extension is secured in position with a clamp extending from the second extension through a slot of the first extension. A foot bar is slidably disposed within an opened face channel of the second extension, with a clamp extending from the foot bar and through the slot of the second extension to lock the foot bar in place. Preferably, each clamp comprises a threaded post extended through the respective slot to a hand-actuatable knob threadably received thereon.
The easel assembly of the present invention overcomes the disadvantages of prior easel assemblies. It is compact for easy storage, yet can easily be unfolded for use in a variety of positions. The lid of the assembly can be directed at several orientations, and is configured to securely support a surface to be painted, such as a canvas board. The artist""s paint supplies and mixing palates are easily assessable during use, and easily stored when transporting the assembly. The legs of the assembly can be adjusted in height so that an artist may sit, or artist of different height may utilize the assembly in a standing position.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.